Pretense
by Lackadaisical.Cur
Summary: All those who knew Echizen Ryoma wouldn't be surprised if one day he became a pro of tennis. But there came upon a time when almost everyone assumed he's dead after he had suddenly disappeared while...  see full summary "inside"


**A.N.****:** Okay, so I had these "Oh! This fic is SOOOO good! I wish I could write one, too!" moments. Then, POOF! Here it is. I _tried_ to avoid being wordy as I really wanted to focus on the plot; I even asked my best bud to read this (not to mention I also shamelessly asked others). Though, I couldn't decide if I ought to put a yaoi/shounen-ai innuendo. My dear, dear best friend just doesn't like that. She even asked me to write a RyoxSaku fic, which I also just didn't like. Ugh. Well, I _do_ have a story for that… inside my cranium. Heh. XD That pissed her off…

Anyway, you've accessed the linked for this story, so I expect that you read this fiction – and hopefully all the way through. The updates _may_ depend on your reviews (and if I have the time). After all, I wouldn't want to update something what the lot wouldn't fancy. Oh, the rating may heighten up. That depends on you.

Fuck, I'm rambling…

Well, then, I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Summary:<strong> All those who knew Echizen Ryoma wouldn't be surprised if one day he became a pro of tennis. But there came upon a time when almost everyone assumed he's dead after he had suddenly disappeared while he was staying in America without his parents. That changed years later when they finally found out he wasn't. What happened for those years he's gone that instead of dealing with strong, tennis players, he had busied himself with the weak, sickly patients?

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

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><p>He gripped his side and squeezed his eyes shut in sheer pain. Being hit into the edge of the hardwood table with so much force didn't help at the moment. He cussed.<p>

Just bear with it, he cajoled his mind, barely conscious. He couldn't feel his wounded head anymore.

"I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL!" the psychotic man screamed, followed by a maniacal cackle.

Just when the boy of fourteen years thought he was about to be lashed out again, the man scrambled hysterically to the bathroom.

Chance! He needed to get out now! His breath coming out short he limped towards the door – away from this hell-house. He clenched his teeth in frustration at the sight of an empty bottle of psychotherapeutic medication, Valium, lying uselessly on the floor. He picked up his pace when he heard a demented call from the man.

Then Ryoma saw a starless, night sky. Walking farther, he bumped into a hard wall.

"… Hey, aren't you gonna apologize? Wha- kid, what's wrong?" the hard wall fussed.

"Stupid wall…," Ryoma muttered weakly before he shut down and fell like a rock into the stranger's arms.

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><p><strong>Chapter<strong>** One:****Giving ****Lie**** to**** the**** Liar**

"Gah! Echizen, stop tapping your pen already!" The spiky-haired youth voiced the cause of his frustration audibly to someone who was his lone companion at the moment as he ruffled his own hair maddeningly. However, after he took a glance at the said companion before him, he swallowed nervously at the dangerous glare he was receiving. He could swear he was forgetting he was taller and older than the other.

He let out a sheepish laugh to ease the tense atmosphere. "A-ahaha… A-ano, Echizen, I think we should hurry up and finish so that… uh… we can have a nice chat at my place…?" he finished lamely before he wolfed down the last bite of his burger.

The man being addressed as "Echizen" for the umpteenth time that day, not to mention for two days then, scoffed at the older male named Momoshiro Takeshi sitting across him.

Momoshiro was aware of the sneer. He shook his head. Well, some things never change, he thought. But he inwardly winced and deemed something was wrong with what he was thinking as he appraised the dark-haired male who was also his former teammate in their junior high tennis club. Still a disbelieving look came across his expression even after he already had seen the other the day before. He couldn't _believe_ he'd live to see the day Echizen's utter seriousness for tennis being _altered_ to one for reading _patient__'__s__papers_! He wasn't even a professional player of tennis he'd expected him to become!

He's a-

His inward rant to self was cut off by the sound of a chair being pulled back and a series of movements in his peripheral perspective.

"I have an appointment in an hour. I need to leave," the younger man spoke curtly while he gathered his things.

"O-oi, Echizen! What about-"

Momoshiro was about to stand up to stop the other but abruptly paused at another one of his leaving companion's stares; though, his mind was finding it hard to process that he was staring at his golden eyes behind that pair of rimmed glasses, and there was something disturbing at the feel of that look.

"Please refrain from calling me 'Echizen'. You're clearly _mistaken_," was a cold reply Momoshiro heard last. The person whom he was definitely sure was a brat of a best friend in the old days was long gone when he snapped out of his dumbfounded stupor.

"Tch. Still a brat…"

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Using his elegant and slim fingers, he brushed off some stray, silken locks as he was being looked over by the two males staring deathly daggers that sent shivers to the other customers in the café. Was he deterred by such harsh treatment, he was doing a _very_ well job of concealing it with his typically apathetic and haughty look.

One of the mentioned males who wore a pair of spectacles cleared his throat.

The brunet at the side of the bespectacled man then sneered. "So, for all these years, you knew…" he drawled out bitterly, his striking azure eyes piercing yet again to the person opposite of them.

A pang of guilt shot through Atobe Keigo's chest and down to his gut, suddenly feeling a number of sickening flying insects within his stomach. Ironically though, the weight of something that he had been keeping for all the years since their high school days had finally been rid off. He closed his eyes and inwardly sighed wearily.

Honestly, that brat never fails to get on my nerves, Atobe thought derisively but somewhat wistfully.

"I believe you have yet to give me your answer, no?" he said to the two commoners impatiently. "Where are Echizen's-"

"Funny that we all know you are more than capable to find out about that without needing us," Fuji Shuusuke interjected rudely with a mirthless smile.

"True, but surely this would have me save up from spending unnecessarily, would it not?"

Fuji scoffed uncharacteristically. "Why now?"

"It is stated in his will. It couldn't be helped."

Tezuka Kunimitsu, who had been silent for almost the entire time, went rigid for being confused on the vagueness of Atobe's words. What had that to do with the matter at hand? "Will? Whose will are we talking about?" he asked carefully in a low tone of voice.

Clearly irritated right then, Atobe palmed his eyes in exasperation and through his teeth he said, "For heaven's sake… I've been digging into you for some _answers_ for who knows how long. The matter is that I _can__'__t_tell you all the details you ask me of."

When all he received was lost silence, he looked up. What he met was the unreadable expression of the normally smiling, effeminate male. The stare of Fuji was so intense that he had to hold down a shudder for the sake of his ego.

"They're dead."

"W-what?" If he had been aware, he would have wallowed in utter humiliation that he STAMMERED like some freaking school girl.

"Echizen's parents have been dead for five years," the once tennis genius reiterated more elaborately.

After that, Atobe had been left unspeaking for a while as he deeply mulled over.

Both Tezuka and Fuji frowned. Information like that wasn't clearly something that should have been left ignored. He'd been with the very subject of their discussion for almost half of his life after all - well, that was if he ever cared for anything that had to do with Echizen. Maybe he merely didn't care, but why did he go to this trouble and wait for twelve years to ask them?

In the end, they just dropped the query. It looked like the diva'd had enough when he rose and nodded to them.

"Thank you for your assistance," he stated in a business-like yet amiable tone, even though he had the far-away look in his eyes.

Tezuka inclined his head in understanding.

It was then that they heard a light knock on the glass window by their table. Of course, those who heard it instinctively turned to that noise. Some shrugged him off in favour of just returning to satisfying their palettes or chatting with their friends. But a number of persons fancied staring at the VERY good-looking young man standing on the sidewalk behind that glass window.

"Keigo," he greeted stoically, voice muffled by the transparent barrier.

They were one table away from the exit so Atobe was out of the shop and met him outside right away.

The other two were left, being wordless when they later on recognised who that young man actually was. Tall, slim build. His complexion looked paler than what they could remember when he was still a junior high student. His dark locks seemed to be so wonderful to be touched and it pleasingly framed his well-crafted face. And his eyes…

What the hell? Why was he wearing glasses?

"Echizen?"

"Saa, Tezuka, it seems that Echizen really has buried himself into books and studying, ne?" There was no mistaking that he really was Echizen since he looked exactly as what Atobe described him earlier.

"Hn…" Tezuka muttered.

The two striking men watched the interaction of the two males on the window a bit longer before they started heading off, too.

Tezuka paused when he realised that the brunet wasn't following. Fuji frowned and shook his head. "Let's go, Tezuka, or you'll be late for your client's trial," and Fuji dismissed everything just as that.

"Nfufu… I didn't know 'Nate' would be fitting for Echizen," Fuji mumbled almost inaudibly with a sly look.

Tezuka stared at his sadistic friend.

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"Palm your eyes," Atobe heard the brat say as soon as he saw him out.

When Echizen Ryoma- also a name yet to be claimed by the owner himself- only received a slightly confused look, he sighed tiredly. "Your eyes are exhausted," he explained, as if that explained everything.

"I see…" he huffed and mentally noted that he'd do that later in his office. "Hmm… THAT is not the point here, man-brat. What brings you to this place?" The older male grinned smugly when the other scoffed and scowled in annoyance.

"Tch. Hypocrite. I saw you on my way to work so I thought I might as well tell you-"

"Let me guess, you won't be able to come home tonight."

"Interposing is unbecoming of you, Monkey-king," the younger male said sarcastically when he was rudely cut off.

The older man spluttered but held his composure; he huffed instead. "Be grateful I shall let you off this time, Nate."

The odd calmness in Keigo's reply had Ryoma cock his brows.

"What's wrong with you today?" the medical practitioner asked suspiciously. He was letting him off _that_ easily. He expected some sort of smart-ass retorts for attempting to obliterate the Monkey-king's bloated ego.

"Nothing… In any case, since I am feeling very generous as of now, I decided to offer you a ride to your place of work," the ape said with a smirk, as if proud by his act of kindness.

"No way."

"Ahn?"

"I'll walk." He waved his hand in dismissively without looking at the other. By that time, he was already strutting away.

"You're certain you do not want to know?"

The tingling of chimes could be heard as a pair of brunets stepped out of the coffee shop. With an air of no-nonsense, one of the twosome simply ignored Ryoma, but his companion turned to look at him and smiled. What it meant, Ryoma couldn't be sure. It didn't matter anyway.

"Yes… It didn't matter… See you tomorrow, Keigo."

Then he went on to his workplace, already knowing he got a disapproving look from Atobe.

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><p>Short, but it's a start. This isn't good, is it?<p>

I read in an article that palming your eyes actually helps you relax. It says that it "stimulates acupuncture points around the eyes." As for Valium, it'd help you, dear, if you gain some research skills. Some explaining may become a spoiler.

Ahh… a doctor of medicine… sigh… oh, my dream job!

So, it's obvious that Ryo is a doctor. His favourite subject is science, no? No harm done for this. Yeah? Would the kind reader guess what he specialises though? And if you didn't notice it yet, the title of the chapter implies something in the whole story. I hope you handsomely review. I want to know what you think. Criticise if you must, but don't be a cunt. Whoah, they rhyme! XD

Thank you for reading! ;)


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